Talk about a no-brainer. John Grant Jr. isn't just the most valuable player on the Mammoth. He's been the most valuable player for the entire National Lacrosse League for two consecutive seasons. And that's appropriate, since he set a new single-season points record (116!) despite missing a couple of games due to a fractured sternum — an injury that no doubt caused him a great deal of pain even after he was cleared to play again. Now that he's back to full health, can we expect even greater things from him? That'd be tough in light of his achievements over the past couple of seasons. But it'll be fun watching him try.

It may seem counterintuitive to give this honor to a player who's just recently returned to the ice after a long contract holdout and accompanying drama. But Ryan O'Reilly is that good, and getting better. Last year he scored more goals (eighteen), registered more assists (37) and notched more points (55) than he did during any previous season, and if there were statistics for a will to win, he would have led the Avalanche in that category, too. Given these achievements, we don't blame him for waiting to skate until he was offered a salary commensurate with his talent — something that didn't happen until he forced the issue by signing an offer sheet with the Calgary Flames in February. Kudos to Avs management for matching that deal — because we wouldn't want to see O'Reilly wearing any other squad's sweater.

In early 2012, Folsom Custom Skis shifted from its full-custom focus to add some shelf-ready stock skis, and moved its operation from Denver to Boulder to help handle increased manufacturing demands. The gamble has been paying off nicely: Folsom's new Rapture skis, with camber underfoot and rockered tips and tails to power through powder, earned a 2013 Editor's Picks nod from Freeskier magazine and topped the publication's list of the best "microbrew" and independent-brand skis of 2012-2013.

There's a long tradition of local surfboard shapers carving boards that are custom-cut for their local breaks, and Silverton's Venture Snowboards has taken the cue, inviting guest shapers into the shop and encouraging them to go nuts. Some of the wilder resulting prototypes, like Silverton Mountain owner Aaron Brill's Swallowtail Bomber and big-mountain backcountry legend Johan Olofsson's Powder Pig, have been getting extremely limited-edition releases through Venture's experimental Shape Shack division. The best of them, like Olofsson's big-mountain Odin — Backbacker magazine's 2012 Editor's Choice pick — have been making their way into the permanent Venture lineup. Our vote for the next graduate is the true-twin Skylar Special, a freestyle/big-mountain hybrid shaped by Silverton Mountain guide Skylar Holgate, with graphics by artist Shanna Duncan.

With all due respect to Peyton Manning, with whom we're absolutely thrilled to share a state, Von Miller is the member of the Broncos who most exemplifies the future of the franchise. His incredible speed, which has quickly turned him into one of the NFL's most feared pass-rushers, deflects attention from the sort of strength and power that allows him to be an every-down player instead of a specialist. And his enthusiasm for the game, marked by sack dances that range from the silly to the incredibly silly, is downright infectious. We look forward to watching him wreak havoc for many, many years to come.

Larry Eustachy is a master at maximizing talent. His collegiate coaching history is littered with teams he's taken from perennial cellar-dwellers to NCAA Tournament appearances. He didn't begin in as big of a hole when he took over the Colorado State University job, but once again, he's taken a team of quality upperclassmen with middling athletic ability to the top of the Mountain West conference. And in late March, Eustachy took the next step, leading the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1989.